Decoy attaching bracket



Oct. 10, 1950 B. R. ERNST DECOY ATTACHING BRACKET Filed July 12, 1946Patented Oct. 10, 1950 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE DECOYATTACHINGTVBRACKET Burrell It. Ernst, Coleraine, Minn. 7 ApplicationJuly 12,1946, Serial No. 683,271

This invention relates to a means of holding a decoy in a lifelikeposition while attached to an anchoring rod suspended from one or aplurality of decoys.

Some of the principal objectsof the instant invention are to provide amore simple, sturdy and efficient attachment for holding a decoy to ananchoring rod.

Another object is to provide such a simple bracket as will permit ofmost natural bobbing up and down of the decoy and one free entirely ofany unnatural rolling or rocking of the decoy.

Still another object is to provide such a bracket as may be convenientlyattached either directly to a horizontally disposed rod below thesurface of the water in which a plurality of decoys are set, or to alateral T-shaped extension from said rod to avoid the same beingtooivisible from above or, to an elongated bight-like extension fromsaid rod.

Other objects may appear during the further description of theinvention.-

In the drawing forming part of this application:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a tilted decoy with one of my improvedbrackets attached thereto,

and

Fig. 2 is an enlarged perspective view of the bracket illustrative ofdifferent ways of applying same to an anchoring rod or the like.

The reference numeral l represents the decoy having the fiat bottom 2common to many types of decoys.

The bracket involved in the invention is represented by the numerals 3,4, and 6, they being representative of the four major integral partsthereof. The flat horizontal portion 3 which is designed to contact thefiat bottom 2 of the decoy is provided with any desired number of screwholes I for such attachment to the decoy.

The vertical portion 4 is provided with the openings or slots 8, 8, anda central slot 9 through the lower extremity thereof, the function ofwhich latter will be described later.

The arcuately turned up portion 6 is bifurcated by the continuation ofthe slot 9 and in each of the uppermost termini of such bifurcatedportions is formed a notch l0 aligned each with its respective slot 8,thus forming the trough-like member 5, adapted for the reception ofeither the cross member ll of the T-shaped extension l2 from the rod l3,the upper member of the elongated loop l4 extending from the rod, or therod itself.

Now as a keeper for that horizontal portion of either one of theextensions from the rod I3 just described, or the rod itself, isprovided the spring 11 Claims.

wire bight or loop l5, the leg members l6, l6, of

which are, after the bracket is applied to the decoy, thrust through theslots 8, 8, and the notches H), Ill, and made fast at their respectiveflattened extremities I! to the bottom of the decoy.

These flattened portions are so bent and shaped that when so fastenedthe bight or loop l5 of the keeper will extend a convenient distanceforwardly of the bracketso as to provide suitable manipulating means incompressing same towards the decoy in either attaching or detaching thesame.

In Fig. 1, I have illustrated how one of the lengths of the anchored rod[3 may be connected as at It! when it may be desirable to arrange groupsof three or four decoys facing in different angular directions.

Having thus described one practical embodiment of the invention, what Iclaim is:

- 1. A decoy anchor for use with an anchoring rod comprising anattaching bracket and means for anchoring the said bracket on said rod,said bracket comprising a body portion of substantially J-shape in sideelevational view and being adapted to be secured to a decoy,characterized by the lower horizontal portion thereof being turned upforming a trough-like receiving member for temporary holding of ahorizontally disposed portion of said anchoring rod, said troughlikemember having associated therewith a thumb operable spring member forselectively holding other parts of said anchoring rod in said troughlikemember.

2. A decoy anchor foruse with an anchoring rod comprising an attachingbracket and means to hold said bracket secured to said rod, saidbracketcomprising a body portion of substantially J-shape and beingsecured to the underside of a decoy, characterized by the lowerhorizontal portion being turned up forming a trough-like receivingmember for temporary holding of a horizontally disposed portion of saidanchoring rod, said trough-like member having associated therewith athumb operable spring member for selectively holding other parts of saidanchoring rod in said trough-like member, said thumb operating springbeing of bifurcated form, having both ends extending through saidbracket and fixed to the under face of said decoy.

3. A holding bracket for attaching a'decoy to an anchoring rod, a bodyportion of substantially J-shape in vertical central sectional View, theupper portion being horizontal and flat for attachment to the flatbottom of a decoy, with the; central vertically disposed portion of fiatform and depending at right angles thereto and provided with two spacedvertically disposed slotlike holes therethrough, correspondingly shapednotches within the upper edge of the turned up end of the bracketaligned with each of said holes, and an elongated U-shaped spring wiretongue with the arms thereof resting in said notches and extendingthrough said openings and adapted to be fixed to said decoy, said turnedup portion adapted for temporarily holding a horizontally disposedportion of said anchoring rod and to be thumb operated.

4. A decoy anchoring bracket and means for anchoring said bracket to ananchoring rod comprising a body portion having its lower end turnedup toform a trough, the upper portion of said body portion being adapted tobe attached to the bottom of a decoy, the central portion thereof beingdisposed downwardly from said upper portion and provided with a slot,and said means for anchoring said bracket to an anchoring rod comprisingan elongated spring wire adapted to be fixed at one end to the bottom ofthe decoy with the opposite end thereof extending through said slot andengaging the turned up portion of said body portion for temporarilyholding a portion of an anchoring rod within the trough formed by theturned up lower end of said body portion.

5. In a device for attaching a decoy to an anchoring rod; a bracketcomprising means to attach said bracketto the bottom of a decoy, a

central portion depending from said attaching means, and a lower portionof substantially trough shape to receive said rod; and means adapted tobe secured to said decoy for temporarily holding said rod within saidtrough extending transversely of said trough shaped portion and biasedtoward the latter to hold said rod therein.

6. In a device for attaching a decoy to an anchoring rod; a bracketcomprising an upper portion adapted to be attached to the bottom of adecoy, a central portion depending from said upper portion, and alower-portion of substantially trough shape to receive said rod;- andmeans for temporarily holding said rod within said trough comprising aspring member adapted to be fixed to the bottom of the decoy at one endand having its opposite end extendin transversely of said trough shapedportion and biased to hold said rod therein.

7. A device for attaching a decoy to an anchoring rod comprising incombination a bracket and anchoring means, said bracket comprising atrough portion to receive said rod, a portion upstanding therefrom, andmeans at the upper end of said upstanding portion to secure said bracketto a decoy, and said anchoring means comprising a spring member adaptedto be secured to a decoy to extend transversely in relation to saidtrough portion and being biased toward the latter to retain said rodtherein.

8. The structure as set forth in claim 7 and said bracket having a slottherein through which said spring member extends when in operatingposition.

9. The structure as set forth in claim 7 and said trough portion havin anotch therein to guide said spring member.

10. A device for attaching a decoy to an anchoring rod comprisingin'combination, a bracket and a spring keeper, said bracket adapted tobe fixed to the bottom of said decoy and having a troughlike lowerportion to receive said rod, and said keeper being adapted to be securedto said decoy, extending transversely of said trough-like portion, andbeing biased toward the latter to retain said rod therein.

11. The structure as set forth in claim 10 and said trough-lil'ieportion being adapted to be horizontally disposed transversely of saiddecoy.

BURRELL R. ERNST.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date D. 26,505 Gumbinner Jan. 12, 1897147,893 Brace et a1 Feb. 24, 1874 307,929 Edwards Mar. 11, 1884 319,293Merritt 1 June 2, 1885 1,409,285 Dennett Mar. 14, 1922 2,256,616 Johnsonet al. Sept. 23, 1941

